


my home for all seasons

by fabulousfairytales



Series: The Schmico Advent Calendar 2018 [3]
Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Angst, Childhood Friends, First Dates, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, M/M, Meet-Cute, figure skating AU, pair skating
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-09-27 04:06:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17155004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fabulousfairytales/pseuds/fabulousfairytales
Summary: What if Nico and Levi met as children at the local rink where Levi was terrified of even touching the ice? Last part of The Schmico Advent Calendar 2018!





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello and Merry Christmas everyone! We made it!! This is chapter one of my Schmico Figure Skating AU and I hope you'll love it as much as I do!  
> The title was inspired by Sia's Snowman  
> Part two will be up tomorrow!  
> Also I think [this here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeI6an1Fy6E) is perfect to listen to while reading this story. I also linked the song of the choreo on the right place in the story. :)

The ice on the rink has been freshly prepared when Nico set his foot onto it. He smiled. He loved the feeling of being on fresh ice, being the first one to leave behind traces of his moves. It might be a bit more slippery than already used ice, but that didn’t bother him. Nico wasn’t afraid of falling. No, he embraced every aspect that came along with being on ice. A few months ago, his parents finally allowed him to join a figure skating class and he wanted to thank them a thousand times for it.

His mother grinned as her son waved at her, before taking off to warm up by skating a few laps. The simple happiness on Nico’s face warmed her heart and there was nothing that could even compare to it.

Today, they weren’t here for Nico’s training, but because he had begged his mom to go ice skating, since it was the holiday break and he couldn’t just not skate. So, they decided to take a trip to the ice rink as a family. His dad was impressed because of how quick Nico had put on his skates and ran off to the ice.

“He really loves it, doesn’t he?” He asked with a smile on his lips.

“Oh, yes, he really does.”

-

“Mommy, maybe we should come back another time?” Levi suggested. He was terrified. He knew that he was clumsy. And then he should go on ice? How was that supposed to work? He’ll probably lose his glasses again like when he went into that bouncy castle last week. His new ones arrived yesterday, but they were a bit too big for his still small face.

“Why don’t you just try it first? And if you don’t like it, we can still go and get some ice cream, okay?” His mother proposed.

It was a good deal and Levi knew it, but that didn’t really change anything about being afraid of falling and hurting himself. He already tried to put on his skates as slowly as possible and yet he still managed to be ready earlier than his mother. He sighed and waddled to the entry of the rink. He could do it. He was a big boy.

He put his left foot on the ice, but when he tried to put his whole weight on it, he skidded a bit, resulting in him quickly removing the foot from the ice again.

“Oh no, that’s not going to work,” he muttered and shook his head. He really wanted to try, but he was just so afraid. Whenever he tried any sort of physical activity, he somehow got hurt. He sighed when a boy stopped in front of him. He clearly had no problems getting and even skating on ice. He just stood there in front of him like it’s not a big deal. How did he do it?

“Hello,” the boy said with a smile.

“Hello,” Levi replied and stepped aside to make room for the boy to get off the ice.

“Oh no, stay there, I just saw that you are having troubles getting on the ice, don’t you? Maybe I could help you!” The boy offered and reached out his hand to him.

“I’m Nico, by the way,” he added.

“I’m Levi,” the younger boy said shyly, tucking one of his strands of hair behind his ears, “And I don’t know if I can do that. I’m not really good at sports and the ice is very slippery,” he mumbled.

“Oh, that’s okay, Levi. We can take slow steps, alright? How about, I’m helping you get on the ice and then you can hold onto the railing until you feel safe enough to move a little bit around?” Nico suggested with a smile. Levi had to think about it for a second before he finally nodded. He took Nico’s hand and put his left foot on the ice again. It still felt very wobbly, so he clung onto Nico’s arm before also setting his right foot on it. He was standing! He was standing on ice!

“You did it!” Nico laughed and held onto the boy to give him some stability while guiding them to the railing. Levi nodded with a wide grin.

“Mommy, mommy look I’m on ice!” he exclaimed proud, holding onto the railing with one arm and waving at his mother with the other. She smiled brightly and waved back at him.

“I knew you’d make it!” She said as she stepped onto the ice herself.

-

It didn’t take much time and Levi was moving on the ice. He was still a bit wobbly, but with Nico’s help he managed to skate a lap. The kids were skating together, Levi firmly holding onto Nico’s hand. The two were talking and laughing and didn’t even notice their parents watching them.

“They are so adorable,” Nico’s mom said with a smile.

“Oh yes. Levi was terrified to set foot on the ice and now he’s just skating around like it’s no big deal,” Levi’s mom grinned, “I’m Shannon, by the way. It’s nice to meet you,” she added.

“I’m Velia. And this is my husband Daniel. Nice to meet you, too.”

-

“Can you do a… a… you know, that spinny thing?” Levi asked, not sure what the word was.

“You mean, a pirouette?”

“Yes! A pirouette. Can you do that?” Levi nodded and his eyes were sparkling. The boy was so cool and so nice to him. He really wanted to be friends with him.

“I just learned it in my class!” Nico giggled.

“Class? What class?”

“I’m in a figure skating class. I started a few months ago and it is so cool!” Nico babbled excited and lifted Levi’s arm up to carefully spin him around. The younger boy gasped in surprise as he wasn’t prepared for the sudden movement. He almost fell, but Nico was quick to grab Levi’s shoulder to support him.

“I’m sorry, I was –“

“No! That was so cool! Let’s try it again!” Levi giggled. And so did Nico.

He raised their hands up again, and began spinning the other boy under their them. They both were still giggling until Levi hit an uneven spot on the ice and lost his balance, causing him to fall back down, pulling Nico with him who landed on top of his tiny body.

For a second it seemed like everything was happening in slow motion. For a second, there was silence and then there was laughter coming from the two boys.

-

It’s been a month since Levi stepped foot onto the ice for the first time and he had fallen in love with it ever since. He begged his mom to send him to figure skating classes just like Nico, but when they got there they told them that first, he had to strengthen his basic moves which could take a few months.

But that only motivated Levi even more. He wanted to become better, so his mom bought him and herself a season ticket for the rink which they would go to thrice a week. Sometimes they would see Nico and his mom or dad and the two boys would just instantly skate to the middle of the ice to hug.

-

The boys have become best friends fast and were practically inseparable. They met almost daily and were not just ice skating. They played, did their homework together (because although Nico was a bit  more than a year older, Levi was able to skip kindergarten, so they were in the same grade) and often slept at the other’s house.

They were the bestest of friends, so the two families eating together was nothing new. What was new, was that their parents had asked them to come to the living room after they finished drying the dishes.

Normally, they would go upstairs and play some games or read together. And after an hour they would go to bed. Levi had a second mattress under his bed for Nico, just like Nico had a second mattress for Levi. However, most times they would just crawl into the other one’s bed, telling each other ghost stories under the blanket and falling asleep in the middle of it.

So today when they were done with the dishes, Levi took Nico’s hand and they ran into the living room, giggling. Their parents were already sitting on the dark grey, u-formed couch. Levi’s mom was on the right, while Nico’s parents were on the left side, leaving the middle part for the two kids.

The two looked at each other, they could sense that something terrible was about to happen, so they squeezed each other’s hand firmer. Carefully, they sat down on the couch and looked at Levi’s mom, before turning to Nico’s parents.

“What’s up?” Nico asked confused.

“Boys,” Nico’s dad started, taking one hand of each boy into his hands, “Nico, your mother has been promoted at her job.”

“Oh, but that’s great isn’t it?” Levi asked with a smile. The adults all nodded with a solemn expression.

“Then why do you look so sad?” Nico asked confused. Being promoted is a good thing. At least it was when his mom got promoted last time, because everyone was happy back then.

“Oh, yes it is honey,” his mom replied, “But you know. When you get promoted, you get more and new responsibilities. And sometimes they have to send you somewhere else to do so.”

Nico furrowed his brow. What did she mean with that? Sending her where? Would he now not see her anymore?

While Nico was still trying to puzzle the pieces together, Levi’s eyes grew wide. Oh no. He knew exactly what this meant.

“No,” he whispered, tears already welling up in his eyes. No no no no.

Nico’s head snapped to the side and now he was even more confused. Why was Levi crying?

“Levi? What’s up?” He asked worried.

“Honey,” his dad let go of their hands and put his on Nico’s shoulder.

“You’re moving! That’s what’s up,” Levi sniffled, the tears eventually rolling down his cheeks. Nico’s eyes grew big in surprise.

“What? No! No, you’re wrong. Right mom? He’s wrong.”

“He’s not, Nico. I’m sorry, but we are moving to Chicago,” his mother confirmed.

“No. No!” Nico jumped up and ran upstairs.

“Nico!” Levi sighed sadly, wiping away the tears and following him into his room, closing the door after him.

“Nico?” The boy asked carefully, seeing the blankets shake and crawled under them where he found his best friend silently crying. He put his arms around his friend and snuggled closer to him.

He didn’t want to lose his best friend. He could tell Nico anything. Nico didn’t laugh at him when he was being clumsy. He would offer his hand to help him up again and gave the laughing kids an angry look which would make them stop. Nico was so important to him. And he didn’t want to lose him.

“I don’t wanna leave you. You’re my best friend and I love you,” Nico sniffled and turned around to put his arms around the younger boy.

“I love you too,” Levi muttered subdued.

-

Saying goodbye wasn’t something the boys looked forward to. Oh no, they were both losing their fights against the tears.

“I’m gonna miss you,” Levi whispered, hugging his friend as tight as possible. If was not fair. Like, really not fair. They’ve been best friends for over a year now. Only months ago, he finally got into a figure skating class that was at the same time as Nico’s class, so they always got picked up together by one of their parents. They would all go on day trips, attend productions Nico was in and celebrate birthdays together. They even went to the petting zoo last week to pet some goats that Nico so adored.

But now this wasn’t going to happen anymore.

“I’ll miss you too,” Nico muttered, his arms around Levi, feeling the shakes of his silent sobs. Having to leave Levi sucked. Nico usually wasn’t the best at making friends, back at the rink he just wanted to help the boy. So when they saw each other again and the boy came running to him, it was something new for Nico. But he was really happy. Especially when they went to the zoo to pet goats.

This wasn’t fair. Separating them was not fair. Nico just wanted to stay here. He hated moving. He hated being the new kid. He hated being somewhere else without Levi by his side. But that’s what’s waiting for him.

-

Today was a very important day for Levi. He went to the rink to meet a potential skating partner. After 4 years of training alone, Levi wanted to skate together with someone. He had spoken to his coach about it and he instantly worked his connections to find a girl his age that he would meet today. It was just a tryout, but who knows, maybe they would be a match. Levi certainly hoped so.

When they arrived, Leila who was a few years older than Levi and also coached by Walter, was already in her skates. She just finished her tryout, but looked disappointed.

“Hey Leila, how was it?” Levi asked carefully. She already had 3 tryouts, and nobody had been a match. But he was sure she’ll find someone soon. She was really great, and he respected her a lot.

She sighed, “It wasn’t awful, but this time it felt like I was never this far away from finding a partner. But good luck to you! I think your girl is already on the ice.” She smiled at him before heading out. Leila was nice. They tried once if they could be a match, but Levi wasn’t strong enough yet to do lifts with her.

After he put on his skates, Levi went up to the rink where Walter was talking to another man, probably the coach of the girl that was skating some rounds with another boy who was at least a few years older than her.

He waved at her before stepping onto the ice. The other boy left before Levi caught up with the girl whose name he learnt was Annie.

“I’m Levi. Nice to meet you,” he introduced himself with a smile while skating next to her, holding out his hand for Annie to shake. She gave him a weird look, but took his hand. She didn’t just shake it, but pulled him into the other direction into some sort of pair spin. Levi was caught by surprise and tripped, falling onto the ice with Annie looking at him confused.

“What was that?! You could’ve warned me?” Levi furrowed his brow, getting up again. What the hell was that move?

“You could’ve reacted quicker. Wow, you’re so slow,” she laughed.

Okay. That’s it. He already knew that this wouldn’t work out. And she probably did too, since she was skating off to the other side where their trainers were watching the train wreck that was this practice.

Levi sighed. What a day.

He followed her to their coaches, but before he reached them, she was already off the ice. He raised a confused eyebrow and the other coach just apologized profusely.

“It’s okay. Don’t worry. But since I’m already here, I’m going to skate a little bit around, alright?” Levi informed the two coaches.

“Sure. By the way the boy from Leila’s tryout is still here. He too wanted to skate a little bit around since he used to train here years ago. You might know him, he was in Ella’s class. I think his name is –Oh, there he is!” Walter exclaimed with a smile and waved at the boy. Levi turned around to look at the boy. He grinned at them before he froze, his brow furrowing very intensely, before his mouth dropped open in disbelief.

“Levi?!”

Levi’s eyes widened and his heart skipped a beat before hammering in his chest. He knew the boy. Oh, he knew him really well. It felt so surreal, that he might’ve forgotten breathing for a few seconds.

“Nico?!”

They both just stared at each other for a moment as the grin on both of their faces grew bigger until Levi started skating towards him. Nico picked up on that and the two met with a loud crash in the middle of the ice. Since Nico was still taller than Levi, he knocked the smaller boy over, wrapping his arms tightly around him before landing on top of him.

They both laughed and stayed like that for 5 solid minutes before Nico found the strength to get up again, helping Levi to do so too before wrapping his arms around him again.

“Nico,” the younger one breathed, “What the hell are you doing here?”

“Well, I had a tryout with a girl from here, but it didn’t work out,” Nico explained, still holding onto the boy in his arms. He was so damn happy to finally be with him again. He never ever wanted to let go again.

“Oh, you were the one Leila told me about. So you’re also looking for a partner?” Nico nodded.

“But how? I thought you’re living in Chicago now?” The younger one asked confused. How would he train with someone from here? He remembered how much fun they had together both on the ice and off it. All the day trips and lazy Sundays and visits to the petting zoo.

“My mom got promoted again and now she can choose where she wants to work from, so my parents said that we’d look for a partner and if we found a fit, we would move there. But now… I’d rather just stay here,” he grinned.

“Wow, that’s – that’s – I honestly don’t know what to say,” Levi said with a wide grin before peeling himself out of the hug and taking Nico’s hand, pulling him behind to skate a few rounds. Nico just giggled when he realized what Levi was doing and held tightly onto the other boy’s hand.

 After a few laps, Nico began to skate too instead of just being pulled behind by Levi. He still held his friend’s hand tightly.

“Hey, do you trust me?” He suddenly asked with a spark in his eyes. Levi knew exactly that the boy planned something. He wasn’t sure what it was, but he nodded.

“Of course I do,” he reassured.

“Okay cool then I’ll lift you up so keep your posture,” Nico said with a grin.

And just a few seconds later, he felt Nico letting go of his hand. The sudden loss of it confused him and for a moment he felt a bit sad. But then he felt his hand somewhere else. They were on his hips. _Wait, did he just say he’d lift him up?_

The boy’s eyes grew big in surprise and he panicked for a second before remembering what Nico had just said and prepared himself to be lifted up by his friend. Which followed immediately. He tried his best to hold up posture, but being lifted up on ice was a totally new thing for him, so he kinda lost balance. Thankfully, Nico noticed it quickly and caught Levi in his arms before he hit the ground. In a reflex, Levi put his arms around Nico’s neck and just stared into his eyes with a soft smile.

Nico let him down gently and took Levi’s hand again to skate a few more rounds together.

“They really look good together, don’t they?” Walter stated, his hands on his hips, head cocked to the side.

“I haven’t seen a similar pair in years in any competition. But they really have some chemistry,” Nico and Annies’s coach, Paul, said.

-

“Mom! Mom look who I found at the rink today!” Levi called out excited when they entered the house giggling. Nico was carrying Levi on his back and was about to put him down on the couch next to them, when not only Levi’s mom came out of the kitchen, but also his parents.

“Oh,” he smiled, “Hello everyone.”

“Levi! It’s so good to see you!” Veila exclaimed and welcomed the boy with a hug. It’s been way too long since the last time they had seen each other. Back then he was only 11 years old and now he was 15. Almost 16. Time passed by so extremely fast. It was scary to see it like that.

“Good to see you too,” Levi replied when Daniel too put his arms around him while Shannon hugged Nico.

“So I heard you are moving back to Seattle?” Levi asked with a big grin, earning a confused look from Nico’s parents, before they were looking at Nico and smiled.

“You found a partner?” Veila asked excited. They’ve been looking for a few months now, but nobody in Chicago seemed like a fit. And then Veila’s promotion came along and she and Daniel talked about it and decided that they would look for a skating partner outside of Chicago and then just move there.

“Well, yes.” The two just grinned at each other.

It took their parents a moment before figuring out what was going on.

“Oh my god that’s terrific!”

-

“Hey Levi?” Nico was nervous. Except for the day when they reunited and the following week, he has been kinda nervous for months. Levi still knew Nico good enough to know that he wasn’t a naturally nervous person. No, that was Levi’s part.

“Hmm?” They were lying on Levi’s bed, his head in Nico’s lap with Nico’s hand occasionally gliding through Levi’s curls. He looked up directly into Nico’s eyes and looked at him questioning.

“I have to tell you something.”

“Okay?”

“I’ve known for a couple of months now, but I haven’t told anyone before. It’s – Please don’t think differently of me. I’m still… the same person, okay?”

Levi frowned and sat up. Now he was worried. What was up with him? He’s been like that the whole day. Like there was something on his mind that he was terrified to let out.

“Can we – It’s not that much of a big deal actually, I just want to get it out, okay?”

“Sure.” Levi nodded and laid back down, propping his head back up on Nico’s lap, gently squeezing his friend’s knee to calm him down. His eyes were on his friend, giving him an encouraging smile, which Nico returned weakly before taking a deep breath.

“Levi, I’m gay,” he finally confessed.

Huh. It didn’t even feel as bad as he thought it would feel. To the contrary, it felt freeing and easy. It wasn’t weird or awkward. It was just who he was and he wasn’t ashamed. At all.

He laughed to himself, before looking down at Levi who just smiled softly, bringing up his hand to caress Nico’s cheek.

“I still love you, okay? You’re my best friend. And nothing’s gonna change that,” Levi assured which took a huge load off of Nico’s mind.

“I love you too,” he replied and smiled.

They just stared into each other’s eyes for a moment before Levi’s mom called out for them to come downstairs for dinner.

-

“Oh my god Roan, are you for real? This again? He’s my partner. And my best friend. We’ve known each other since we were kids. Our families are close so of course we are even closer. And he isn’t even gay,” Nico muttered, holding onto the railing, shaking his head.

“But what if he was gay? I think we both know what would happen if Levi came out. I don’t want to be your number two while you’re waiting for your number one. I deserve better than that,” Roan sighed and let his hand glide through his dark hair.

“I’m not waiting –“

“Just… don’t wait too long. He might never come out. Good luck with your training. And good luck at the competition,” Roan said before turning around and leaving the rink.

“Roan was here? I thought he didn’t like the cold in here?” Levi asked. Nico was about to reply something when Walter called out for them to start the training.

-

“Shit!” Nico hissed. He had stumbled while they were practicing a press lift. Levi was already over Nico’s head on his hand when the older one had tripped. He almost dropped his partner, but thankfully his reflexes were quick so that he caught Levi to carefully let him down again.

“Nico, are you –“

“I’m alright.”

“Are you sure?”

“Levi…”

“Hey boys, how about you take a little break?” Walter called out.

“It’s alright, we really –“

“That wasn’t a suggestion. Take 10,” their coach said firm, turning around to go back to his office. Nico just sighed and rolled his eyes, skating to the exit of the rink to sit down on one of the benches, staring at the ground.

Levi followed him a moment later to find him on the bench. Something was off. He could feel it.

“Nico? Are you okay?

“I told you it’s nothing, so stop it,” Nico murmured.

“Did something happen with Roan?” he asked carefully, putting his hand on Nico’s shoulder.

“Oh my god Levi, just fucking stop!” He swatted away the hand and shook his head, now staring angrily at Levi.

“You know what, no. You’ve been in a mood ever since Roan left. And you almost dropped me today. I could’ve hurt myself! The first assignment is in a few days! So no, I will not fucking stop until you tell me what is going on with you,” Levi grumbled.

“You wanna know what’s going on? Roan broke up with me because of you. Because he thinks I’m in love with you or something,” he yelled, now staring at the wall in front of him. He wasn’t angry at Levi. He was angry at himself.

“Oh.” Levi looked down and gently put his hand again on Nico’s shoulder. This time he didn’t even flinch but leaned towards the touch.

“I’m sorry,” Levi muttered before sitting down next to him and wrapping his arms around the older boy who leaned his head against Levi’s. Suddenly, something clicked in Levi’s head.

“Yeah, me too.”

-

“Please welcome the next skaters. Representing the United States of America: Nico Kim and Levi Schmitt.”

Nico and Levi were in the middle of the ice. Their hands raised above their heads, fingers intertwined. They were staring into each other’s eyes and took one last deep breath, before the music would start. Levi was giving his partner a smile and squeezed his hand.

They let their hand fall into a comfortable position[ when the music started](https://youtu.be/5SDJFvG2dKk?t=120) and started skating gracefully over the ice as if they were walking through the park on a sunny day with birds chirping happily and drinking some water from a bird bath.

The two smiled brightly at each other as they prepared for Nico to pick him up into a perfectly executed lasso lift. The audience applauded enthusiastically, but the two skaters didn’t care. They continued skating as if nobody watched them. The first lift was followed by a double toe loop and butterfly spin by Levi. Everything worked out really great.

Nico spun him lightly around and pushed him from being in front of him, behind him. Spinning Levi once again behind him, before turning his body to face him again. Skating like this was like dancing. It was so graceful and made them feel free. They could just be themselves.

They were still holding each other’s hand while skating over the ice, Nico was squeezing Levi’s before preparing for a triple throw jump. Levi concentrated really hard to land on the right foot, and while he did it, he slightly grazed the ice with the tips of his fingers to prevent himself from falling.

Whatever, it happened, they were still really good today. They finished the rest of the choreography that consisted of a synchronized jump combination and step sequence without any mistake. Their death spiral at the end was one of their highlights. It was maybe their favorite element of them all and everybody could see it.

When the music finally stopped, they were hugging tightly, giggling.

“We did it,” Nico whispered.

“We did it,” Levi repeated breathless.

-

It was a warm October day in Sydney. The sky was almost clear with only a few white clouds passing by, the sun shining down on them. The two skaters were sitting on a blanket in the middle of the lush grass.

 “Nico?”

“Yeah?”

“I don’t think I want to be a professional figure skater. Like, I really love it with you as my partner. I do. But I… I want to become a doctor,” Levi confessed. He didn’t dare to look at the other boy and instead watched the ducks in front of them on the pond.

Nico furrowed his brow in confusion.

“Are you for real?” He asked quietly.

“Yes I know it’s not fair to you, but I gotta –“ Levi started, but got interrupted by Nico’s laughter. Now he was confused. Why was he laughing like this?

“Nico, what –“

“I – It’s just,” he was still laughing. He took some deep breaths before looking at his best friend again and grinning.

“I wanted to tell you the exact same thing soon. I just didn’t know how and then you just say it,” Nico chuckled, but broke out into laughter again. Only this time Levi joined him.

They giggled and held their tummies until they hurt so they calmed down again a few minutes later.

Levi laid down on the blanket and put his head in Nico’s lap like they always did. He brought up his hand to play with the strings of Nico’s hoodie.

“We did really good today with the short program,” the younger one grinned.

Nico chuckled and let his hand glide through Levi’s soft curls.

“We were really good yes. Walter said that we might even have a chance to get a medal. I’m trying not to get too hyped up, but it would be really cool if we did,” Nico said, grinning from ear to ear. A medal would be so cool. This was their first time at the ISU Grand Prix, even their first assignment. And their short program just crushed it.

“Really cool indeed,” Levi agreed, letting go of the hoodie string and raising the hand to cup Nico’s cheek, lightly caressing it with his thumb.

 -

“I can’t believe that we actually won,” Levi giggled and couldn’t stop staring at the medal. This was their first gold they have ever gotten.

“I know! It’s unbelievable!” Nico grinned and hugged him tight, lifting his lean body off the ground and spinning him around. They both laughed in joy and Levi propped himself up on Nico’s shoulders, looking down into the other boy’s eyes. That’s it. That’s the moment.

He didn’t want to jump the gun, but he has been thinking about it for a long time, he just had a moment of clarity and now he wants to get it out.

“Nico?” He was still lifted up in the air.

“Yeah?”

“I’m gay,” Levi breathed, still smiling and gently caressing Nico’s cheek. He felt Nico’s grip tighten around his waist, his eyes growing big in surprise and for a second Levi had a really hard time to read him. He lowered him down so that Levi felt the ground and had to look up again.

“You – you are?” The older boy needed a second to process what he just heard. Levi nodded and let his hand glide down to Nico’s shoulders, over his arms until he reached his hands and pulled him a little closer.

“Go out with me,” Levi whispered.

“Yes,” Nico shot back immediately without even having to think twice.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes life can be complicated. And it has a lot in store for Nico and Levi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Okay so this is it. This is part two of this story. I have to say again that I really really loved writing this one. So thanks for your lovely comments. They mean a lot!

Levi thought asking out his best friend which could dramatically change their whole relationship was the hardest part. But that one was surprisingly easy. Nico had said yes immediately like he’s been waiting for him to ask this for years. And to be honest, it did make Levi’s heart flutter a shitton.

Just thinking of that ‘Yes’ made Levi’s heart skip a beat. He couldn’t even imagine what his heart would do if Nico kissed him. It would probably just jump right out of his chest. So he pushed that thought away and concentrated on getting to the zoo on time, because that’s where he was taking Nico.

Specifically, to the petting zoo to pet some goats since Nico just fucking loved them. Nico loved goats a lot. If he could, he would have one as a pet. And maybe one day they would have a house with a huge ass garden to keep one or two.

Okay, enough of that, he had to knock at the door eventually. He’s been standing here for at least two minutes, fidgeting with the hem of his cobalt blue grandpa sweater. Why was he so nervous? It’s Nico. He was picking up his best friend. They could’ve just met in front of the zoo, but no, he wanted to surprise him. He took a deep breath before finally knocking on the door.

To his surprise, the door swung open not even 2 seconds later.

“What –“

“I thought you’d never knock,” Nico chuckled and stepped outside, taking Levi’s hand and dragging him towards his date’s car. Taken by surprise, all Levi could do was being pulled towards his car and hopping in before he finally could take a look at Nico.

He was breathtakingly hot. Really. Just wow. That burgundy band shirt with his leather jacket on top of it, together with his hair slightly gelled up was just the hottest thing. He looked like the classic bad boy.

And Levi loved it.

“Wow, you – you look really… wow,” he stuttered. _Keep it together! You’ve known each other now for how long? Years. Many years. You’ve seen him wear that outfit! How is this now_ –

“Thanks,” the other boy grinned, interrupting Levi’s train of thought and leaning a little towards the boy, “You look great,” he added, causing Levi to blush furiously before quickly buckling up and starting the engine.

“Thanks,” he whispered under his breath before the radio interrupted him, playing some generic song they’ve heard at least a hundred times over the past summer, so Nico took the aux cable and put on a playlist with their favorite songs.

“So where are we headed?” Nico asked curious, placing his hand on top of Levi’s on the gear shift. He smirked when he noticed Levi’s hand twitching in surprise and gently squeezed it to show him that everything was alright.

The younger one exhaled with a small grin as he looked at Nico for a second before turning back to watch the road again.

“Nice try.”

“Oh come oooon, just tell meeee!” Nico whined, but to his dismay, Levi kept his mouth shut. He also seemed to ignore Nico’s little pouts, so when they stopped at a red light, he decided to take another route. He grinned and let his hand slip away from Levi’s hand to his thigh and kept it rested there, squeezing it softly little which made Levi gasp a little.

“You think you can influence me like that, huh? Well, under other circumstances you wouldn’t be that wrong, but not today, Satan. Not today,” Levi chuckled, taking a deep breath before turning left which already revealed the big entrance sign of the zoo. Nico’s eyes widened, and a big smile appeared on his face.

“Oh my god you know me so well,” Nico giggled and was so excited that he almost would’ve jumped out of the still moving car if it wasn’t for the fact that he then would have to remove his hand from Levi’s thigh already. And because jumping out of moving cars wasn’t that safe.

The other boy just grinned and parked somewhere near the entrance. He opened the door of his car when he noticed that Nico’s hand was still on his thigh, making him blush again.

“Gosh, you’re so cute when your face is flushed like that. Maybe I can make you flush even harder later, huh?” He asked with a wink and got out of the car laughing when Levi turned even redder only mere seconds after he had said that.

Levi locked the car, breathing in deeply and taking Nico’s hand. He could feel the goosebumps wandering down his spine, and butterflies dancing in his stomach. Nico’s hand was soft. And it was warm. And Levi wanted to never let go of it again.

Walking up to the entrance to pay admission for the two of them, Nico tried to protest it, but Levi was quicker than him.

“You can pay next time if you want,” he chuckled.

“Wow, next time? Who says that there will be a next time? Maybe I’m a serial killer who will murder you in your sleep?” Nico replied with a grin and grabbed Levi’s hand again. Holding Levi’s hand was just – nice. Like really fucking nice.

“So you mean I should sleep with my eyes open tonight?” Levi asked with a playful frown.

However, Nico just pulled him a little closer and whispered, “What about not sleeping at all?” into Levi’s ear, smirking when the boy had to bite his lower lip before a faint blush appeared on his face.

“Fuck, Nico,” he cursed under his breath before chuckling himself.

“Oh we don’t have to go that far, but if you’d like to, I mean – Ouch!“ The older boy dramatically cried out when Levi tried to stop him by playfully hitting his arm.

“Ouch? I’m-not-drama my ass,” he muttered under his breath.

“Huh? What was that?”

“Oh, look we’ve reached out destination. Are you ready to pet some cute goats?”

“You didn’t just ask me that.” Of course he was ready. Oh, he was born ready when it was about petting those cute creatures. Truly the best creatures. He wanted ten.

He didn’t even notice himself how his excitement made him all bouncy, but Levi surely did and right here right now he was sold. He already was, but this just cleared out any doubts he had about potentially ruining their friendship by beginning a romantic relationship with Nico. Because that boy was just – he didn’t have words that wouldn’t sound cheesy, so he decided to stop thinking about it and to focus on the present.

The two entered the enclosure where a group of 6 goats already greeted them. This was truly Nico’s heaven. After petting each of it once, they even got some treats from the keepers to feed to them.

“This is already the best date ever. I love this. This is great,” he rambled as he held out his hand so that the black goat in front of him could eat the carrots, but then a white and brown spotted one basically pushed the black one out of its way and quickly stole the carrot before running away again. Nico’s mouth gaped wide open and Levi couldn’t hold back the laughter.

“What a little brat!” Nico called out but had to laugh too.

“That goat was 100% you,” Levi laughed while shaking his head in disbelief.

“What?? I would never!!”

“Sure, Jan.”

“What do my ears hear?”

“If you have to ask then they apparently didn’t hear shit,” Levi countered with a grin and finally gave the black goat those grapes that it deserves.

“There you go buddy,” he said softly and petted the goat behind its ears.

They spent a long time just petting and feeding the goats, before they left the enclose and walked towards Levi’s car.

“So what about we get something to eat and then drive to the top of the hill to watch the sunset?” Levi suggested. Nico nodded eagerly.

About 20 minutes later he pulled up on the parking lot of a 7/11. They got out of the car and into the shop, looking for some drinks and snacks. Nico pulled him to the refrigerators and took two sandwiches before they went to the snack isle, grabbing a bag of chips and two cans of soda. This time, Nico was quicker at getting out his money, so he got to pay for it. Levi took the bag and they left the store.

The younger one grinned before he jumped onto his date’s back, wrapping his legs around his hip and holding onto Nico’s broad shoulder with his free hand. The other boy fortunately caught his legs in time.

“A little warning would’ve been nice,” he chuckled and carried Levi to the car before setting him down again. The other boy just grinned and got into the car. Before he could start the engine, the other boy stopped him by taking his hand.

Levi looked at him in confusion. Had he forgotten something?

“What? Did we forget something? We can go back in again if you –“ He was cut off by Nico’s lips on his. Levi’s eyes widened before he quickly shut them, smiling happily against the other boy’s soft lips.

This right here was it. This was paradise. He died and ascended to this moment right here and he had no regrets. He could feel Nico’s hand gliding through his curls, causing him to giggle.

“Sorry,” he muttered, not able to stop grinning.

“No, don’t apologize,” Nico said with a smile after pulling away from the kiss, “I love hearing you giggle and laugh and just all those sounds showing that you’re happy.”

Levi didn’t know what to say to that. He just blushed and started the engine. Nico put his hand on Levi’s thigh again where it stayed for the entirety of the ride to the top of the hill.

They arrived half an hour later and sat on top of the hood, munching on their sandwiches in comfortable silence. They sat there like that for a couple of minutes when Levi looked over at Nico, smiling. Being here with him, watching the sunset felt so peaceful and nice.

He wanted to spend more days like this with Nico. Because when he was with him, he felt like he could do anything.

“Listen – I don’t know how to say this without it potentially sounding weird or confusing, because – I mean we’ve known each other for a very long time now. And we also said it before in another context. And I mean, if we just met, I wouldn’t say it now, but it’s true. Because –“ He sighed.

“Take a deep breath, okay?” Nico said and gently squeezed Levi’s hand. The other boy nodded and did so before looking back up to face him.

“Nico, I love you. And not just in the friend way like we used to say it. I _love_ you. And I – I wanna be with you,” he confessed, looking at Nico’s face, searching for a reaction. It took a few seconds until he saw the big smile that was forming on the other boy’s face.

“I wanna be with you too. Because I love you too, babe,” Nico giggled and placed his hands on the sides of Levi’s face, pulling him closer to kiss him passionately.

-

“Ugh, I’m so bad at these, I’ll never get accepted into any kind of college,” Nico groaned, dramatically falling back down on his bed, putting his hands over his eyes.

“Don’t say that, I’m sure you’ll get in. You got good grades, your letter is great, you can do it!“ Levi assured as he laid down next to his boyfriend, resting his head on Nico’s chest and running his fingers over the other boy’s arms.

“Hmm, maybe,” he muttered, closing his eyes for a moment to just enjoy being so near to Levi.

“Can we please stay like this forever?” Nico asked quietly, wrapping his arms around Levi and smiling. Levi just returned the smile and pressed a soft kiss onto Nico’s lips, staying in his arms for a few minutes longer before sitting back up, pulling Nico up too who tried to fight it with a groan. He eventually gave in when Levi started to tickle him.

“You’re so evil,” he muttered.

-

“Okay boys. Your performance was incredible last time. I’m really proud of the two of you,” Walter said with a grin.

They had told Walter about this season being their last in professional figure skating. It hurt a little, but both of them knew that it was the right decision. And so did Walter. Which is why he told them that he would still train them on a leisure basis. He would continue to create choreographies for them to practice, even if they don’t go to any competitions anymore.

Nico still loved figure skating. It’s not like he suddenly lost interest. It’s just that ever since he was a young boy and had broken his left arm, he was so fascinated by the doctors caring for him and fixing his arm, so he wanted to become a doctor himself. He too wanted to help people when they broke a bone or got sick. It was like a load was lifted off his mind when Levi confessed that he too wanted to become a doctor.

They were just done warming up, when Walter excused himself to take a phone call. The two boys were just looking at each other, grinning and skating a few round while holding hands. Nico then lifted Levi up into a carry lift and the other boy crossed his arms in his boyfriend’s neck before pressing his lips onto Nico’s. Both were giggling happily and got lost in the kiss there for a second causing Nico to almost crash them into the railing. He avoided this with a swift turn, but Levi had already noticed and couldn’t stop laughing while being set down.

“Am I that distracting?” The younger asked with a smirk.

“Oh babe, you have no idea,” Nico chuckled and wrapped his arms around him to swirl him around.

-

“Shouldn’t we wait for our parents to open these?” Levi asked thinking.

“Hmm, I don’t know. I mean do you really wanna wait a few more hours to open these?” Nico replied. Today they have gotten the letters from NYU and UW and they were very anxious to open them.

“You’re right. Let’s open these bad boys up.”

“I can’t believe you just said that,” Nico laughed after staring at him blankly for a moment.

“Yeah, me neither,” the younger one muttered slightly ashamed. They both started with the letter from Washington.

“Oh my god, I got in!” Levi discovered excited and let out a breath of relief. Nico gave him a bright smile and kissed him quickly.

“Congratulations, babe! I knew you’d make it,” he said and his smile dropped a little bit when he read his letter.

“What about you? Did you make – oh. I’m sorry,” Levi muttered and caressed his boyfriend’s cheek.

“Hey, it’s okay. Don’t feel bad for me. We still got NYU.”

Levi nodded and they opened the letters from the other university.

“I got in!!” Both exclaimed excited and then giggled happily, jumping up and down and hugging each other tightly. Levi couldn’t believe it. He would go to university with Nico. They wouldn’t have to be separated from each other again. He just couldn’t believe his luck and basically attacked Nico’s mouth with his. He was so happy.

However, this happiness didn’t last for long.

-

“Levi, honey. I’m sorry, but you didn’t get the scholarship. And I – I’m so sorry, but I don’t know how we could possibly afford New York, you know how your father had left us in debt of the house. I haven’t even paid it off yet, so our credit is still very low. Nobody will give either you or me a loan big enough for you to live in New York for the next few years. Seattle is the only possibility, I’m sorry,” Shannon explained quietly.

It hurt. It hurt that she couldn’t send her son to the university he wanted with the boy he loved. But there was simply no way. Levi’s dad had died only a few months after Levi was born and when Shannon was going through their finances, she found out that he had basically taken all the money they had and lost it to gambling. They were very lucky that her parents had helped them out a lot, otherwise they would’ve lost the house, but it had sent her credit to the trash. And as if that wasn’t enough, he had added Levi into this whole mess too, so he could take another big loan that they weren’t able to pay back for a very long time.

Levi opened his mouth, but closed it again, nodding slightly. He felt the tears well up in his eyes and turned away from her. She didn’t need to see him like that. He knew that this wasn’t his mom’s fault. Hell, she did her absolutely fucking best. She was the best mother he could’ve ever wished for.

“I – I get it,” he whispered, feeling the tears rolling down his cheeks.

“Honey, I – I wish I could send you to New York. Really, I’m sorry.” She wrapped her arms around him and carefully stroked his back in a calming motion. This wasn’t fair. No. Not at all.

-

The day of Nico leaving had come way too quickly. He didn’t expect that day to come so soon. And now they were here, at the airport, standing in front of airport security, not ready to say goodbye. Levi was trying to keep it together for as long as possible, but when he saw the tears glistening in Nico’s eyes, he just threw his arms around his boyfriend, giving into the sobs.

“Please don’t go. I know it sounds selfish, but please don’t –“ What was he doing? No, he couldn’t say stuff like that right now. That wasn’t fair at all. He sighed, hiding his face in Nico’s chest.

“I’m sorry, please forget what I just – That wasn’t fair,” he mumbled, not able to look Nico in the eye.

“Levi.”

“No – I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. It’s just that I’m gonna miss you. So bad,” Levi whispered, finally looking up and into Nico’s dark brown eyes again. He didn’t want to waste another second.

“Shh, not now, okay?” With his thumb, Nico wiped gently Levi’s tears from his cheeks before pulling him closer and pressing a soft kiss onto his boyfriend’s lips.

“Listen babe. I love you. And we’re gonna make it. We already spend years apart from each other and yet made it in the end,” he sniffed, “We’ll talk and visit as often as possible.”

Levi just nodded and kissed him again. And again. And again. And again.

“I love you too,” he replied and gave him one last passionate kiss before Nico had to go through the security check.

It was heartbreaking, but Nico was right. They’ve been through worse. And now there were so many ways to talk to each other. They will be fine.

-

“I miss you,” Nico whispered. Lately those words were said way too often. But it was the truth. His boyfriend was on the other side of the country and neither of them had the time or the money to visit the other, so they had to settle for shitty skype video chats to see each other.

It was really heartbreaking and they both knew that it couldn’t go on like this forever. As much as they loved each other, they’ve reached a point where it just hurt.

“I miss you too,” Levi replied, trying to smile but it looked more like he was about to burst into tears.

“Nico, we… we,” he sighed, wiping away the tears that were welling up in his eyes.

“I know. I know,” he just nodded, blankly staring at Levi on the screen, “We can’t continue like this. I love you, but…”

“Yeah. All we do is hurt each other like that. Because I miss you and I want to be with you. I want to be near you, but that just not possible except on birthdays and holidays. And that’s not enough for me,” Levi explained.

“It isn’t for me either. I just want to hold you in my arms. I mean we are together and yet I feel so, so lonely over here. And I’m not blaming you or anything, but it just sucks.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

“I don’t wanna lose you.”

“You won’t. I promise.”

-

They’re both in med school now. Nico’s still in New York while Levi’s at home. They see each other a few times a year when Nico was visiting Seattle. They were still best friends, that didn’t change. They were texting every day and skyping at least once a month. Each time they saw each other, they would go to the rink and skate together, having a lot of fun and laughing the whole time. Oh, and they would also hook up.

Maybe not the best move, but whenever they saw each other, they couldn’t hold back anymore. Mouths would crash against each other and fingers would excitedly tear off the other person’s clothes. Nico would carefully put Levi’s glasses somewhere safe before his mouth would wander down Levi’s neck and chest, leaving behind a trail of soft little bruises and hickeys. Levi would moan and pull Nico’s hair, guiding him up again, because he missed the feeling of Nico’s tongue inside his mouth.

Levi also had a beard now, so the stubbles slightly scratching his neck and jaw was a whole new sensation that Nico hadn’t even thought of and it drove him insane.

Normally, Nico would then take off Levi’s pants and slide his hand down to the other man’s stomach, slipping under his underwear and lightly stroking his dick to tease him.

However today, Levi grabbed his hand before it reached his stomach and stopped dead in his tracks. The confusion in Nico’s eyes was hard to miss.

“Hey, are you okay? Did I do something wrong?” He asked worried as he gently caressed Levi’s cheeks.

But then Levi just started bawling. And Nico didn’t know what to say so he just held the man he loved in his arms and gently rocked them back and forth.

“I’m – I’m sorry, I just can’t do this anymore,” Levi sniffed. He wished he could, he really wished for it, but he just couldn’t anymore. It just hurt too much.

“What, but why? Did I do something wrong? Or do you – do you have a boyfriend?” His eyes grew wide as he asked. They weren’t together anymore. It’s not like he didn’t have one-night stands or anything. Of course he did.

“No, I don’t. But that’s the fucking problem Nico. There was someone I think I kinda liked. But knowing that you would be here now, I broke up with him. Because I’m not a cheater. And I knew that we would… do this again. But you see the thing is, I’ve been doing the same thing over and over again with two other really great guys. Because of this. And I’m tired of it. I love you and I always will, but this has to stop. I’m too miserable because of it.” He sighed.

“Levi please.”

“I’m sorry. I just can’t,” the younger one whispered, stepping away from the bed to get dressed again and nearly running out of the house, tears streaming down his face.

-

Keeping up contact with someone you love but who tries to distance themselves from you was hard.

They were still keeping tabs on each other. Sending messages, some pictures, liking each other pictures on social media, talking casually about their lives. But limited. They texted once a week. No phone calls, not skype sessions until 4 in the morning. Nothing like that. That’s it. And for a few months, it worked.

It worked really well until it was time for their finals.

“I’ll text him tomorrow,” he kept thinking. Until tomorrow turned into a week. And a week turned into a month and then it was just too late for it to be casual and to be real, Levi could’ve texted him too. He was the one who almost always initiated contact. If Levi still cared, he would’ve texted him.

It’s not like he didn’t get it. He did. Levi was right. They needed space from each other since there was no foreseeable future for them as a couple.

“I miss him,” Nico muttered out of nowhere. He and Link have been hanging out in their living room watching movies and drinking beers when suddenly the alcohol hit him with all those emotions at once. He felt tears welling up in his eyes and tried to blink them away.

“I – I – I miss him so much, Link. I just can’t – I can’t.” He didn’t feel the tears rolling down his cheeks. He only noticed that he’s been crying when he saw the water droplets on his sweatpants.

“I don’t know how to get over him, because I just can’t. I miss him and I wanna hold him in my arms. Just hold him and I –“ At this point he was full-on sobbing, hugging a pillow to just hold onto _something_.

“I’m sorry – I’m so sorry, I just can’t –“ He tried to apologize, but got pulled into a hug by Link, carefully patting and rubbing over his back.

“Hey, it’s okay. Let it all out, you don’t have to apologize,” Link assured. Nico just nodded, his body shaking.

“It’s… I miss my best friend. I miss him so much, but I can’t reach out, because – Because I don’t want to hurt him any further.”

Link just nodded. There wasn’t much he could do besides being there for his friend. So he just continued to listen to Nico and hold him in his arms.

-

“I don’t even remember the last time we really talked, Taryn. I know it was the right thing, but who knew that the right thing hurt so bad?” The intern muttered. It’s been over two years since he was in a relationship. Ever since breaking off the thing with Nico, he just wasn’t able to go to more than three dates with a person. He would always find something that would bug him. They were too loud, had bad manners or were just boring. None of them were Nico.

“I know it sucks. I’m sorry Levi. From what you’ve told me he is a great guy. But he’s also living on the other side of the country and as long as you’re not ready for a long-distance relationship or to just follow him to the big apple, you have to try to move on. It’s been two years.”

Taryn had her fair share of being in love with unreachable people. And she didn’t want to see Levi hurt anymore. She wanted to meet the real Levi. The bubbly and happy boy she had been told about by his mother and himself. The only time she ever sees him somewhat happy and carefree was when she’s watching him on the ice.

“I know. I know. And I want to. I promise. Tomorrow I’ll look at the world differently. Nico was great and I’ll always keep him in my heart, but I can’t hold onto a fantasy that might never come true,” he agreed. His friend smiled and they both took a big swing of their beers. Tomorrow, everything will be different.

And oh, it will be very different.

-

“Okay, ma'am, we have an ortho team coming in, so we're gonna have to move you to make room for –“ Hunt said, but got interrupted by Nisha.

“Oh, my God,” she interjected excited as she spotted the two very good-looking doctors that were coming their way. Oh, for a second she actually prayed that they would come to her and not another patient.

“Someone ask for an Ortho God?” The new doctor asked. Levi rolled his eyes.

“It is Heaven!” Nisha exclaimed. Now the intern was curious. They couldn’t be _that_ good looking – Oh shit.

“What?” He whispered. His eyes grew wide in shock. This couldn’t be true. This was a joke. This wasn’t real.

“Levi?” The younger one of the two new doctors asked in confusion. Levi took a deep breath. His heart was racing and he was sure that he was very close to faint or do some other clumsy shit soon.

“Nico,” he breathed. What was he doing here? And why wasn’t he an intern like him? They did start school at the same time.

It was like the world stopped moving for a few seconds. Levi’s mouth opened, but no words came out. Instead, he got pulled back into reality when the doctor who had introduced himself as Dr. Lincoln, spoke again.

“She's got a nasty open-femur fracture for sure, but I do not want to take it off the metal,” he said.

“Tourniquet to control the bleeding before we take the metal bars off, right?” Nico asked hesitantly. He had to push away his feelings and thoughts until they were done with the patient. And it seemed like Levi was trying to do the same since he seemed so focused on the file.

-

This day just became the weirdest he had in a while. How did Nico just show up here? Couldn’t he have said at least something? And how was he already done with his residency? It was mindboggling. He wanted to talk to Taryn, but she was off today so he was all on his own. He sighed and laid down on one of the beds and stared at the ceiling.

At least he did so until the door of the on-call room opened. He didn’t think much of it until he recognized the person that was now staring at him. He quickly got up and stepped closer to the man.

“Nico.”

“Levi.” They spoke at the same time. Both of them exhaled with a faint smile before they continued their staring match from before.

“So uh – you-you’re here,” Levi stated quietly after a while.

“Uhm, yeah.” Nico grabbed his own shoulder with his hand. He was nervous. Very nervous. He didn’t really know what to say so he hoped that Levi would say or maybe ask him something. As if he had heard his thoughts, Levi opened his mouth.

“Why are you here? And how? And also, how are already done with your residency? I’m still an intern and we started at the same time! And why didn’t you just say a word that you’re coming to _my_ hospital? Why do you just show up like that without a warning, looking like a goddamn full-course meal while I’ve been here for the past 32 hours, looking like I’ve been here for 72?” Levi babbled.

His heart was beating so fast, he was afraid it would just jump right out of his chest. His emotions were all over the place, he didn’t even know what he was feeling right now. He was happy about seeing him since he had missed the man so badly. But he was also angry that he just showed up like that. After months of no contact at all, he just shows up like that? And then there was confusion, because he had no idea how Nico finished his residency.

“Levi, I –“ His voice cracked. He knew it was selfish, but he just wanted to touch him. Just once. Even if it’s just for a second and he gets pushed away instantly. He just wanted to feel the warmth of Levi’s body against his own.

“Levi I just –“ He whispered, but the words got stuck in his throat again. As if he could read his mind, Levi nodded softly, taking a step closer. If he’d reach out now, he could touch Levi’s arm. Nico took another step and now they were standing right in front of each other.

He finally reached out and touched Levi’s face, exhaling in relief when he felt the familiar stubbles of his beard and caressed his cheek with his thumb. He watched Levi close his eyes and lean into the touch, tears that were glistening in his eyes before, now streaming down his face.

“I missed you. I missed you so much,” Nico whispered, wiping away the tears from Levi’s cheeks.

“I – I – I too. I m-missed you too,” Levi sobbed, wrapping his arms around Nico at the nape of his neck, hiding his face in the man’s chest.

Nico too wrapped his arms tightly around the other man’s waist and buried his nose into his fluffy curls, his body was shaking from Levi’s and his own sobs. He had missed this. Seeing him in person. Talking to him. Hearing his voice. Holding him.

“Levi,” he whispered. He didn’t necessarily want to say anything, he just loved saying his name.

“Yes?”

“I didn’t know that you would be here. I just followed Link. We are friends, used to be roommates in New York. And he said that when I’m done with my residency, my chances are very high that I’ll get a fellowship under him,” he explained quietly, still holding onto Levi.

“Oh,” Levi muttered, but then he looked up at him and into his beautiful dark eyes.

“So you are a resident? How? I mean we started at the same time and I’m still an intern. Then why do you wear the navy blue scrubs? They’re for attendings and fellows,” he asked confused. Nico cocked his head to the side and smiled slightly.

“I uh – The program for med school is one year shorter. And oh, and I guess I just got the wrong scrubs. Tomorrow I’ll wear the same ones as you.”

Levi just nodded and returned Nico’s soft smile. He let his fingers glide through the resident’s hair and even grinned a little bit.

“Tomorrow,” he whispered.

“Yes, tomorrow.”

“So… So did I get you back? Just like that?” His hands rested on both sides of Nico’s face as he nodded.

“Yes,” he breathed, “Yes you got me back,” he laughed.

Levi had missed his laugh. To him it was the most beautiful sound in the world. And his smile shined brighter than a thousand suns. He giggled happily as Nico lifted him off the ground, spinning him around.

-

“I still can’t believe that you’re here,” Levi grinned as they were leaving the hospital hand in hand.

“Yeah, it’s such a coincidence. I mean there are so many hospitals and clinics in Seattle alone.”

“Yeah right, I mean –“

“Schmitt! Is that your boyfriend? Damn, who would’ve thought that you got so much game,” Dahlia noted approving and gave them a thumbs up.

The two looked at each other for a moment, before looking down at their interlocked hands. It happened automatically, they hadn’t even noticed. Nico opened his mouth to say something, but Levi just squeezed his hand lightly and lead them to the main exit of the hospital.

The sun already started rising again when the two doctors got outside. Nico smiled as he and Levi sat down on a bench, staring at the sun slowly rising again, coloring the sky in various different tones of red. It was truly beautiful and reminded him of the day of their first date. It used to feel like it was a lifetime ago, but right here, right now it felt like it only happened yesterday.

“Hey Nico?” The younger man was looking at him.

“Yeah?”

“You wanna go to the rink?”

Nico’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

-

On their way, they had stopped at Nico’s place to get his skates. Levi had waited outside in his car and after a few minutes and 5 messages to Taryn, they drove to the rink.

“It feels like I haven’t been here in an eternity,” Nico muttered, more to himself than to Levi. The other man just smiled and took his hand to pull him inside after him.

“Hey Walter! Look who I brought in today!” He exclaimed when he saw his old coach.

After Nico had left, he still trained under Walter for about a year until he just didn’t have the time anymore. Pre-med was quite a lot at the time. He still went in at least once a week to skate a little, especially when he was stressed out. But it wasn’t enough for Walter to properly train him, so now the man only watched him when he got the time.

“Nico? Oh my, you really became an adult, didn’t you? How are you? How’s everything going?” Walter asked excited. He hadn’t seen the boy in years. After he went to New York he’d been here a few times with Levi, but they usually missed each other.

“Oh, I’m great. I’m living in Seattle again, so we will probably see each other more often from now on again,” he replied with a smile as he tied his skates. The two chatted for a few minutes until Walter had to get back to his office.

The two men warmed up a little before they went on the ice and in that moment, Nico had to think of the first time they met here. Levi was just a little boy with way too big glasses and shaggy hair who was afraid of the ice. Who would’ve thought that they’d actually win a gold medal at their first cup of their first Grand Prix?

They skated a few rounds separately before meeting in the middle. Nico took Levi’s hands in his’ and smiled.

“Levi?” he whispered.

“Yes?”

“I – How do you want to continue? This. Us. Because I – Because I don’t want to waste any more time. I still love you. Always have and always will. And I missed you. God, I missed you so much,” he sighed and caressed Levi’s cheek. The other man’s eyes sparkled and the smile that formed on his face was the most beautiful thing Nico has ever seen.

“I love you too. And I don’t want to waste any time either. We already did a lot of that,” he muttered before he pulled the older man closer to kiss him hungrily.

It was like he had been sleeping for years and Nico had woken him up again. He felt free and awake. Like he could breathe again, because he found that missing piece of the puzzle.

Levi wrapped his arms around Nico and laughed. He just laughed and couldn’t stop. Because he was happy. Because the man he loved was back.

Nico just smiled at first, but then joined Levi’s laughter.

Yes. This was where he’s supposed to be. Right here at Levi’s side. And nothing could ever break them apart again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! If you liked it, please leave a comment to let me know haha!  
> I'm @orthoglasses on tumblr and fabulous fairytales on youtube! So come over to my tumblr if you wanna chat or have a prompt/headcanon to share. :)

**Author's Note:**

> Thank so much for reading! So what do you think?  
> I'm @orthoglasses on tumblr and fabulousfairytales on youtube. So swing by if you wanna chat! :)


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